Profile

KENT, Frederick James
(Service number 78342)

Aliases
First Rank Private Last Rank Private

Birth

Date 1 November 1897 Place of Birth Lyttelton

Enlistment Information

Date 20 December 1917 Age 20 years
Address at Enlistment Bricknor Street, Templeton
Occupation Labourer (NZ Refrigerating Co)
Previous Military Experience 13 Regiment Territorials - still serving
Marital Status Single
Next of Kin Mrs M. KENT (mother), Bricknor Street, Templeton, Christchurch
Religion Methodist
Medical Information

Military Service

Served with NZ Armed Forces Served in Army
Military District

Embarkation Information

Body on Embarkation New Zealand Expeditionary Force
Unit, Squadron, or Ship 39th Reinforcements, C Company
Date 13 June 1918
Transport Athenic
Embarked From Destination Liverpool, Merseyside, England
Other Units Served With
Last Unit Served With Canterbury Infantry Regiment

Military Awards

Campaigns
Service Medals British War Medal
Military Awards

Award Circumstances and Date

No information

Prisoner of War Information

Date of Capture
Where Captured and by Whom
Actions Prior to Capture
PoW Serial Number
PoW Camps
Days Interned
Liberation Date

Discharge

Date 17 September 1919 Reason

Hospitals, Wounds, Diseases and Illnesses

Post-war Occupations

Hotel worker

Death

Date 31 March 1972 Age 74 years
Place of Death Christchurch
Cause
Notices Press, 1 April 1972
Memorial or Cemetery Memorial Garden Crematorium, Harewood, Christchurch
Memorial Reference
New Zealand Memorials

Biographical Notes

Frederick James Kent was born on 1 November 1897 at Lyttelton, the fourth son of Thomas and Mary (née Kempthorne) Kent. He was educated at several schools in Canterbury, starting at Westerfield and moving to Rakaia in October 1906. In July 1907 he was admitted to Culverden School and in May 1908 to Christchurch East for a few weeks. In September 1908, Frederick and his younger brother Percy were admitted to Springbrook School south of Timaru. Their mother was at Home Station. Their mother, Mary Kent, had applied for a separation order against her husband, Thomas Kent. The Magistrate granted the order, giving her custody of the children under sixteen, Kent ot pay £1 a week maintenance. Prison sentences were imposed on Thomas Kent later in 1908 and throughout 1909 for failure to comply with the maintenance order. Frederick and Percy moved to Templeton School 13 months later, and Frederick left Templeton for Islington Factory at the age of fifteen.

The ground of appeal of Frederick James Kent, labourer, of Templeton, on 15 January 1918, was that he was the main support of his mother and invalid sister. The appeal was dismissed, but he was allowed until 1 April. His name had been drawn in the First Division Ballot at the end of November 1917. So, F. J. Kent was off to a training camp on 5 April 1918, with the Christchurch draft of the Fortieth Reinforcements. Private F. J. Kent embarked with the 39th Reinforcements, leaving for Liverpool, England, by the “Athenic” on 13 June 1918. In late July 1919, Mrs Kent of Templeton received word that her son, Private F. J. Kent, was expected home about 14 August.

Having embarked on 4 July 1919 at Liverpool to return to New Zealand by the “Port Hacking”, he arrived on 20 August. He was discharged on 17 September 1919 and awarded the British War Medal.

Frederick married Winifred Pearl Jewell in 1935. He died on 31 March 1972 at Christchurch, aged 74 years, and was cremated at the Memorial Garden Crematorium Chapel at Harewood. He was survived by his wife, two daughters, his sister Christina (Teen) and his brother Perce. Winifred who died in July 1974 was also cremated at Harewood.

Sources

Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [08 October 2022]; NZ BDM Indexes (Department of Internal Affairs) [09 October 2022]; School Admission records (Ashburton, Canterbury & South Canterbury branches NZSG) [09 October 2022]; Star, 23 June 1908, 4 December 1917, Sun, 15 January 1918, Press, 6 April 1918, 1 April 1972, 19 July 1974, Lyttelton Times, 13 July 1919 (Papers Past) [10 October 2022]

External Links

Related Documents

No documents available. 

Researched and Written by

Teresa Scott, SC Genealogy Society

Currently Assigned to

Not assigned.

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 Logo. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License unless otherwise stated.

Tell us more

Do you have information that could be added to this story? Or related images that you are happy to share? Submit them here!

Your Details
Veteran Details
- you may attach an image or document up to 10MB